Local asphalt sealant distributors typically have a large volume tank for holding asphalt sealant for resale to individual asphalt maintenance service companies. To distribute the asphalt sealant to the individual asphalt maintenance service companies, the tank is associated with a hydraulically driven asphalt sealant pump (due to the viscous nature of the asphalt sealant), a hydraulic pump and reservoir for driving the asphalt sealant pump, a mechanical meter for indicating the amount of asphalt sealant pumped and a hose for temporary connection to the smaller tank of the maintenance distributor vehicle. Local asphalt sealant distributors also typically sell other supplies to individual asphalt maintenance service companies such as paint for asphalt striping, crack fillers, brooms, blowers and the like.
Because many commercial parking lots, driveways and thoroughfares are typically subject to heavy traffic and use during normal business hours, it is often desirable to conduct maintenance on the asphalt surfaces of such lots and thoroughfares during non-business hours, such as during evenings, nights or weekends. Such maintenance includes coating the asphalt surface with a coat of asphalt sealant. Asphalt sealant is a water based, highly viscous substance that fills the small cracks and acts as a binder material to seal the asphalt surface. Other activities may also be performed during such maintenance such as filling cracks with crack fillers, and striping the parking spaces with paint. Although it is desirable to conduct maintenance on commercial lots and thoroughfares during non-business hours, it is also often desirable to conduct asphalt maintenance on residential and other smaller commercial lots during normal business hours.
In view of the forgoing, it will readily be appreciated by those in the asphalt sealant and asphalt maintenance industry that local asphalt suppliers have long had and continue to have the difficulty of supplying asphalt sealant during both business hours and non-business hours, in order to stay competitive. Although an asphalt maintenance service company can typically purchase a sufficient amount of crack fillers and paint striping materials (and other supplies such as brooms and blowers), it may not be able to purchase a sufficient amount of asphalt sealant (which is carried in the tank of an asphalt distributor vehicle or trailer) for a particular work job. To meet the needs and maintain customer loyalty, local asphalt sealant distributors have had the burden of supplying asphalt sealant during non-business hours, even though such operations are not typically "open" during non-business hours. Such service during non-business hours is necessary to maintain customer loyalty. This is particularly difficult for smaller local asphalt sealant distributor operations. What this often means is that the actual owner of a local asphalt sealant supplier company has the burden of being telephoned on weekends, evenings, nights and holidays, and then the additional burden of meeting the representative of the asphalt maintenance service company so that asphalt sealant can be dispensed. In light of the foregoing there has been a long existing problem in the asphalt sealant and asphalt maintenance industry dealing with how to service customers during non-business hours.